By Beau, Erin & Jorge
We were fortunate to start
our day out with Colonel Stephen Randolph, The Historian of the U.S. Department
of State. In the hour and a half we were
able to spend with him, he shared with us key leadership heuristics he’s
defined from his leadership experiences.
Among those that stuck with us were “People aren’t the only thing, but
they are the most important thing” and “The opposite of leadership is
pessimism.” These resonated with us
because in our own lives, personal and professional, we see how important it is
to build and nurture positive relationships.
At the end of the discussion
Col. Randolph provided us a tour of Navy Hill.
As we walked through the site we were amazed to see just how important
this location was to our country. Here
leaders in the Navy developed oceanography, our public health system began with
a medical center for maritime workers, and the intelligence community
began. Experiencing history in this way
has been a common thread throughout our seminar and a powerful way make a connection.
In the afternoon, we took
advantage of a long lunch break to walk the mall one last time and view the
Constitution. Upon arriving at the USDA
building we were fortunate to meet with the Under Secretary of the Farm and
Foreign Agricultural Services Michael Scuse, the Under Secretary of Research,
Education and Economics Dr. Cathie Woteki, Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural
Service Phil Karsting, and many others.
The briefings we received provided us with a good understanding of the
breadth of the USDA and just how much US agriculture, especially California
agriculture, impacts the world.
We concluded the day with synthesis. Fellows shared their personal takeaways as they relate to our leadership and the ways we are able to impact our communities. We also discussed our impressions of just how difficult and important it is that we engage in the governmental processes at the national level.
We are thankful to the
California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, the donors and alumni for allowing
us the opportunity to see firsthand how our government works. We also want to thank our families, coworkers
and employers for their support on our journey.
While the east coast has been fun, we are looking forward to seeing our
loved ones and being back home.
PFs of the day,
Dominic, Johnna and Randy
“Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is for Fighting” - Governmental and Legislative Processes Take Center Stage
By Gayle Holman, Sal Parra, Jr., and Christian Vellanoweth
March 8, 2016
This was the quote that Senator Dianne Feinstein shared with us this afternoon during our visit with her to discussdrought legislation. We were thrilled to have about 30 minutes of her time. One of our fellows shared his personal story of the devastating effects of the drought—in 2009 he and his family lost their family farm on the Westside of Fresno County. Fifteen hundred acres of melons, 500 employees and more than a million dollars in debt caused him to lose everything and end the family dream of farming. Senator Feinstein immediately responded by asking for his story to be put in writing for her to share with other Members of Congress to supporther legislation. She challenged each one of us to shareour story, write letters to her staff and committee, and help become a stronger voice for ag.
The day actually began in the lobby of the hotel when one of our fellows surprised our class with fresh floral boutonnières from his family farm in celebration of “National Women’s Day.” We then boarded a quick bus ride to Fort McNair military base with a prompt arrival at 0800 (military time) at the National Defense University. We were met by Brigadier General Thomas A. Gorry, Commandant of NDU. Captain James Lepse then provided an interactive discussion regarding Food Security: A Policy Formation Exercise and Discussion. Our pre-reading assignment helped prepare us for the joint sessions held with 2016 agribusiness graduate students at the Eisenhower School. The sessions were a valuable exercise to discuss key issues surrounding food security as it relates to climate change and industry needs.
Upon on the conclusion of our morning, NDU graciously provided two vans to transport us to the U. S. Capitol Visitor Center where we had lunch in the basement Cafeteria and found just a few minutes to purchase souvenirs in the Capitol Visitor gift shop. With purchases in hand, we then began a quick walk to the Longworth House Building where our first of several speakers, presented “Engaging the Legislative Process” staff briefings whichtook place in the House Agriculture Committee Hearing Room.
Our first briefing was with Jacob Crisp, Deputy General Counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Jacob’s presentation provided us a glimpse in the privacy issues and anti-terrorism. Next was a briefing with Chris Tudor, Legislative Director for Congressman Tom McClintock (CA-04) regarding drought relief legislative efforts. Following was Garrett Durst, Legislative Assistant for Agriculture and Environment issues with Congressman Garamendi (CA-03) spoke to us about his boss’ perspective regarding water solutions in a document entitled, “Little Sip Big Gulp, A Water Plan for All ofCalifornia.” This provided us an opportunity to exercise ideas toward compromise in ways we may have not previously considered. Kyle Lombardi, Legislative Director for Congressman Kevin McCarthy (CA-23) gave his honest approach to the pitfalls and tribulations of the legislative process. Lastly, Kevin Eastman, Legislative and Communications Director for Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) spoke to us about the transition of Sacramento politics to DC policy. Each speaker generously provided an honest and open-ended question and answer session. We felt fortunate to have afforded an opportunity to have shared the afternoon learning from them.
Our day ended with our National Seminar Finale Dinner at the Kellari Taverna Restaurant. This day was filled with new insights, visions and opportunity to apply our leadership abilities in order to help make a difference as emerging leaders of tomorrow.
After a quick afternoon of sightseeing on Sunday, we were back to sessions this morning.
Our day began with a panel of four agriculture and industry advocates who lobby in DC. They shared with us the legislative process and how they work both offense and defense on a variety of issues. We learned about a variety of issues they are currently working on including Water, GMO Labeling, Immigration and the Trans Pacific Partnership. While they shared the challenges of their work, they also motivated us to get engaged in the process wherever we can and encouraged the building of partnerships withour friends outside of agriculture.
The next speaker was Dr. Susan Martin who helped prepare us for our international trip by educating us about the crisis of Syrian refugees. She shared wth us how complicated the crisis is, that it isn't just one region impacted and more than just Syrian refugees are currently in crisis. There are no great solutions to solving this issue and many hurdles are faced including "donor fatigue" as a result of numerous events.
Following lunch, we headed to the Eisenhouer Executive Office building where we got a taste of White House level security (which included standing in front of a fan that blows one's scent toward a dog behind a metal barrier). We were then briefed by Assistants to the White House who work as legislative liaisons (legislative staffers). Here we heard from Energy and Agriculture experts on California Water Legislation, GMO Labeling and TPP.
We hurried back to the hotel to hear from distinguished local leaders - who we were fortunate enough to meet but must remain anonymous. They shared some of their leadership lessons and left us with some great takeaways:
-Make leadership look fun
-Take action when others will not
-Know your blind spots and find someone to fill in those gaps
-Never walk by a problem
To conclude our sessions we had a wine reception with alumni and distinguished guests. We enjoyed the chance to visit in a less formal atmosphere.
It was a great day of meeting with dignitaries who furthered our education of the issues and challenges they face every day on The Hill.
Sunday March 6th, 2016 class 46 of the California Agriculture Leadership Foundation attending a service of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
This AME church is the oldest of it's denomination and services were attended in the past by Fredrick Douglass, which provided us not only a new experience, but also one based in history. The church itself is beautiful, only surpassed by the welcoming members of the congregation.
Services started 7:45 and the singing started immediately. Class 46 was welcomed into the gathering with an acknowledgment from the pulpit. The Pastors sermon titled "On lying down with dogs and catching fleas" enlightened our group on the balance between opening ourselves up to all people, while acknowledging that we are heavily influenced by who we hang out with. This can be important in our leadership training as we have many potential avenues to travel, but need to make certain that we maintain our correct path by being firmly and ethically grounded.
After church, the group split up and spent the day in the shadows of our national monuments in the capitol mall. Many of us visited the Holocaust Memorial and museum, while others visited the Smithsonian and Arlington National Cemetery. It was a great day of reflection for the entire group.
By: Erin, Shaun, Domenick
We woke up on a gloomy Saturday morning in beautiful Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This quiet little town was once the host to the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil. The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War, which gave the Union huge momentum going forward. So many lives lost, so much blood shed, and so much history spread along roughly 6,000 acres of land.
Our first stop on the battlefield was Oak Hill. This is where the majority of the fighting took place on the first day of the battle. The class was overwhelmed with the mystique of the historic ground we were standing on.
One of the main theme points throughout our fellowship is the subject of crucial conversations. This program teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional, or risky topics. The teaching of crucial conversations focuses on how to speak and be heard. Looking back on the Battle of Gettysburg, there are many examples of conversations gone wrong. Our class explored four major examples of conversations gone wrong with Generals in the Confederate and Union armies.
We started our day in the conference room of the historic Gettysburg Hotel, where our licensed battlefield guide, Bruce Rice, introduced background information on the battle. Bruce is so knowledgeable and truly made the past come to life! Once we reviewed the subject, we hopped on our bus and headed to the battlefield.
Our first stop on the battlefield was Oak Hill. This is where the majority of the fighting took place on the first day of the battle. The class was overwhelmed with the mystique of the historic ground we were standing on.
One of the main theme points throughout our fellowship is the subject of crucial conversations. This program teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional, or risky topics. The teaching of crucial conversations focuses on how to speak and be heard. Looking back on the Battle of Gettysburg, there are many examples of conversations gone wrong. Our class explored four major examples of conversations gone wrong with Generals in the Confederate and Union armies.
Our profession is all agricultural based, but after today some of the fellows may want to look into acting. There were four teams of six fellows each assigned a critical conversation. Each team was to act out the conversation between Generals at the location of where the conversation was had. We visited Culps Hill, Cemetery Hill, Pickett's Charge, the Peach Orchard and the spot where Lincoln gave his legendary Gettysburg Address. Not only did this allow us to breakdown each crucial conversation and discuss the historic implications of what went wrong; we also got to visit and see the location which brought the battle to life!
We finally ended our tour at the Angle. Located at the Angle is the California Regiment monument. It was exciting to see our home state represented on the battleground.
This is a day the fellows of class 46 will never forget. The history we learned and the skills we continue to build on having crucial conversations will have a lasting effect. The battle of Gettysburg helped salvage the nation at the time and was the beginning of creating the country we know it today.
Sad to say goodbye to Gettysburg and our bus driver Fred, but looking forward to what Washington D.C. has in store.
Thank you to the California Ag Leadership Foundation, donors, and everyone who makes this experience possible!
Sad to say goodbye to Gettysburg and our bus driver Fred, but looking forward to what Washington D.C. has in store.
Thank you to the California Ag Leadership Foundation, donors, and everyone who makes this experience possible!
In the Baltimore neighborhood of Sandtown-Winchester we visited the Intersection of Change. At the Harris Marcus Center we met with founder Elder C.W. Harris who shared with us the extent of the community projects at the Intersection of Change. The Harris Marcus Center houses the Jubliee Arts center, a community program that provides art classes to residents of Sandtown-Winchester. Across the Street is Martha's Place, a Maryland state-certified program for women overcoming drug addiction and homelessness. Revitalization of the intersection is also found in the neighboring park and surrounding murals.
Discussions with Gwen Brown of Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD) and Deb Eisenberg, Professor at the University of Maryland described how the boomtown of Baltimore transformed into the blight that is so evident in Sandtown-Winchester, and how important the building of strong healthy relationships is in the restorative efforts currently in action.
Another effort that the Intersection of Change supports is Strength to Love II, an urban farm in the heart of Sandtown-Winchester managed by Clayton Williams (pictured below). Strength to Love II (S2L2) consists of multiple hoop houses on two separate lots owned by the city which are rented to S2L2 for $1 per year with free water. S2L2 grows leafy greens almost exclusively and is currently in partnership with a produce wholesale company that sells to food service and farmers markets. Their ultimate goal is to be able to produce and provide foods to the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood, an extreme urban food desert.
We also had the chance to meet with Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Russell of the Baltimore Police Department who discussed his career, the unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray and his perspective on how the police can be a positive influence in the community. Lt. Col. Russell reinforced much of the discussion from earlier in the day and told stories of the effectiveness of his personal implementation of strong community relationships between the community and police forces.
In the spirit of flexibility, we had to quickly change plans as we prepared for a service project session, the Harris Marcus Center suddenly lost power, trapping Elder C.W. Harris and Class 46 fellow, Sal in the elevator. After 30 minutes phone calls, face time, attempts at using emergency release valves, and extreme bonding time, the Baltimore Fire Department was finally able to open the jammed inner door and rescue them.
Following the elevator fiasco, our bus departed for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where we transitioned from #BlackLivesMatter to the Battle of Gettysburg with a traditional colonial dinner at The Dobbin House.
Melissa, Jorge, and Ashley
